Monday, August 3, 2009

So reports Scottish Psychologist Stuart Brody in a study soon to be published in the journal "Archives of Sexual Behaviour". Speaking to the Scotsman, Brody said:

Evolution is not politically correct, so of the very broad range of potential sexual behaviour, there is actually only one that is consistently associated with better physical and mental health and that is the one sexual behaviour that would be favoured by evolution. That is not accidental.

Namely - unprotected, heterosexual sex. The benefits of which include less mental health problems, including depression, and being "able to deal with stress in a more mature way by taking effective action." In contrast, Brody said, the more often people use condoms, "the greater use of immature defence mechanisms against stress."

The killjoys at Mary Stopes Intl. and other condom peddlers are understandably ticked, the Scotsman reports.

Brody is looking at the question from a purely naturalistic standpoint, which is proper for a scientific study. The findings, he believes, could be predicted by evolution, ie., the sexual practice most likely to lead to reproduction is necessarily wired for the greatest satisfaction.

Greg Gutfeld at The Daily Gut (warning - NSIYWETBRACDB*) thinks the reason might be a little more obvious to non-experts:

But more importantly, the use of condoms might say more about your choice of partner – who influences your happiness more than the sex you're having. The fact is, if you're not using a condom, there's a higher chance the person you're having sex with is someone you trust – like your wife.

However, where there is the link between condoms and emotionally immature behaviour, the condoms may not be the cause, but an effect. In a separate research paper, co-written with a Portugese colleague, Rui Miguel Costa, the author suggests that people who are in unsatisfactory sexual relationships are more likely to choose condoms rather than better forms of contraceptive, such as the pill.

And a lot of pro-condom, pro-recreational sex of any kind apologists also confirm in telling ways.

And there's this: the straight people likeliest to be having unprotected intercourse—those having sex without condoms—are those in stable, monogamous relationships; couples who are actively trying to get pregnant; couples who no longer have to work to avoid pregnancy (post-fertile straights); or singles who are using other forms of birth control or have reasonably concluded that they at low risk of contracting an STI from their partner/partners.

And I don't see how the presence of married or stably partnered straight couples in this study could fail to skew the results. LTRs [long term relationships] require more maturity to enter into and are less stressful generally. Married or partnered people typically have sex with people whose health, HIV-statuses, general trustworthiness, etc., are known to them. LTRs not only involve less stress and anxiety—at least where sex is concerned—but a person typically has to be in reasonable shape, mentally and emotionally, to forge a successful partner bond in the first place.

Being overly cautious, and over thinking everything, is not evolutionarily beneficial. People with higher levels of education have significantly lower rates of reproduction. It makes sense that people who spend more time worrying about the consequences of their actions, the same people who are more likely to use condoms every time, are also more likely to report higher levels of stress.

This is the crucial flaw in Brody’s study. His report seems to suggest that if the people who habitually use condoms stopped, they would experience a boost in mental health. I’m one of those who suffer from high anxiety and depression. I also use condoms obsessively. When I was still a virgin I got tested for STDs just to make sure I was starting off clean. When my roommate caught and STD from unprotected sex, I returned to the clinic, fearing that I would get what he had simply by sharing towels and watching the same internet porn. I use a condom with my wife who is on birth control and is a firm believer in abortion. If I was to have an unprotected one-night-stand with a stranger, I would become hysterical, force feeding the lucky girl morning after pills, rushing to the STD clinic, then spending the next 6 months worrying that HIV would show up in my next blood test.

Okay? Why not try dropping the one night stands and have sex with your wife straight-up with no intention of killing your offspring? See how that affects your stress level.

I think this all demonstrates the fact that committing a sacrament is a lot less stressful than committing a sin.

* - Link is "Not Safe If You Were Expecting To Be Reading A Catholic Diocesan Blog"